Coin-handling machinery



July 23, 1929. E. P. DONNELLAN COIN HANDLING MACHINERY 4 SheetsSheet 1Filed May 14 1926 awuemtoz July 23, 1929. E. P. DONNELLAN COIN HANDLINGMACHINERY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 14 1926 5110mm; anellazg July 23,1929. E. P. DONNELLAN Q 1,721,511

COIN HANDLING MACHINERY Filed May 14, 1926 4 Shee'ts-Sheet 4 z WMATTORNEY Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD P. DONNELLAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD-JOHN-SON G0,, ING, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COIN -HANDLING MACHINERY.

Application filed May 14, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in coin handling machinery andmore particularly to multiple coin counting mechanism adapted to receivethe several denominations of coins which have been separated one fromanother by a suitable coin separating mechanism, and then fed from thelatter to the several counting heads of said multiple coin countingmechanism.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a compact andsimple arrangement and relation of a plurality of coin counting headsadapted to be operated from a single power source, and so arranged thateach counting head will receive and count a selected denomination ofcoin fed thereto from a suitable coin separator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionof hopper for each counting head, so disposed and related to the meansfor delivering the coins into actuating engagement with the countingdevices. that jamming of the coins, or other interference with smoothand continuous delivery of the coins to the counting devices is avoided.

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularlyenumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detaileddescription of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of the novel multiplecoin'counting mechanism embodying the principles and construction of mypresent invention;. Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of one of thecounting heads of such mechanism; Figure 3 is a detail plan view of thenovel hopper member with which each counting head is proand Figure 7 isan end elevation of the same.

Similar characters of reference are em ployed in all of the hereinabovedescribed views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character 10 indicates asuitable Serial No. 109,034.

12 are a plurality of coin counting heads,

A, B, C, D and E, the same being secured to said brackets 12 so as to bedisposed at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees and in front toback relation in successive parallel planes. Said coin counting heads A,B, C, D and E are respectively adapted to receive and count a selecteddenomination of coin, such e. g. as pennies, dimes, nickels, quartersand'half-dollars.

Each coin counting head comprises a bedplate 13 substantially circularin form, with an extension 14 projecting from its upper free side. Saidbed-plate possesses a central bearing portion 15 in which is journaled aspindle 16. Fixed on said spindle 10 and fitting closely to the uppersurface of said bed-plate 13 is a rotatable propeller disk 17 having atits periphery a series of indented coin receiving pockets 18 lyingbetween radially proj'ecting fingers 19, as shown more especially inFigure 2. Connected with the extension 14 of the bedplate is a platformmember 20 having a bearing bracket 21 secured thereto. Journaled in andbetween said platform member 20 and bearing bracket 21 is a shaft 22.Secured to said shaft 22, so as to lie intermediate said bed-plateextension and platform is a star-wheel 23. Mounted on said platformmember 20 is a suitable register R the actuating shaft of which isprovided with a bevel gear 24 which meshes with and is driven by a bevelgear 25 fixed on said shaft, 22. Said star-wheel 23 is substantiallytangent to the propeller disk'17, so that the former is operativelyengaged and actuated by coins propelled toward the same by the operationof the latter. Said bedplate 13 is provided, beyond said star wheel andbeneath the propelling pockets of the propeller disk 17, with a coindischarge opening 26 through which the coins successively fall afterbeing propelled past the star-wheel 23 in actuating engagementtherewith. Secured to the underside of said bed-plate 13 in registrationwith said discharge opening 26 is a discharge funnel 27, having meanssuch as hooks 28, for suspending a bag or other receptacle into whichthe counted coins may be deposited. Suitably secured over the upperperipheral portions of the propeller disk 1'? and its coin receivingpockets 18, at and to each side of the point of conjunction thereof withthe star-wheel 23 is a shear blade or guard 29, which serves to deflectexcess coins and thus prevent more than one coin from being carried bythe coin receiving pockets into ggtuating engagement with the star-wheelConnected with the bed-plate 13, so as to enclose the same around thepropeller disk 17, is a novel construction of hopper comprising a sidewall 30 having at its base or bottom portion an outwardly off-setdepending skirt flange 31 which is adapted to be engaged over theperiphery of said bed-plate 13, and then secured thereto by screws 32,or any other suitable form of fastening means. Intermediate said sidewall 30 and said skirt flange 31, at the lower or bottom side of saidhopper is an inclined or angular wall section 33 adapted to overhang theperipheral portion of the propeller disk 17. Owing to the normal downwardly inclined positions of the counting heads, coins deposited withinthe hopper will gravitate to the lower side of the latter, and will thusencounter said angular wall section 33, which tends to throw the coinsflatwise on the hopper floor formed by the bed-plate 13 so as to enterand be propelled upward by the receiving pockets 18 of said propellerdisk. In order to keep the coins deposited in the hopper constantlytumbling back toward the bottom or lower side thereof, and to counteractany tendency of the rotating propeller disk 17 to carry up excess coinstoo far, or to thus produce undue crowding or jamming of the coins tothe obstruction of free, smooth and continuous delivery thereof upwardlyinto actuating engagement with the star-wheel 23, the hopper is furtherprovided with a novel structural feature which consists in so formingthe angular wall section 33 thatresponding to the direetion of rotationof the propeller disk 17, this results in the provision of a recedingcoin relieving surface, generally indicated at 34 in Figure 4. Ow-

ing to the combination of the angular slope ofthe counting head and itshopper and the described recedlng coin relieving surface 34, any excessC01I1S tending to ride up with the rotating propellerdisk 17 will begradually carried-out from under the angular. wall section 33, andbrought into engagement with said relieving surface 34, so that gravitvmay be effected in causing the same to roll or fall back intothe bottomportion of the hopper, before the same reach the end of the shear bladeor guard 29, thus with the functioning of the latter, giving a doubleinsurance against possible jamming of the propeller disk. This featureof the hopper is of considerableimportance and is one of the novelfeatures involved in the present invention. Connected with the outer orup per edges of the side wall 30 of the hopper so as to extend acrossthe lower end of the same is a top wall section To simultaneously drivethe propeller disks 17 of the respective counting heads, each spindlel6is provided with a bevel gear 36. Suitably journaled in bearing brackets37 is a longitudinal driven shaft 38, which may be suitably driven by orfrom any de sired source of power. Mounted beneath the bottom of eachcounting head is a transverse shaft 39 which is suitably geared inintermediate driving relation between driving bevel gears 40 on saiddriven shaft 38 and said bevel gears 36 of the counting head spindles,

In using the multiple coin counter, the counting heads of the same maybe supplied with. coins of proper denomination, which have beenseparated by suitable separating mechanism, and then distributed to thecounting beads by chutes 41 associated with the latter. 7 I

The form of multiple coin counter shown in Figure 1, wherein thecounting heads A, B, C, D and'E are disposed in the I lovel angularlyinclined'positions, and front to back in successive parallel planes isbest calculated to provide a very compactarrangement in which themultiple of units are so related as to occupy a minimum of space.

The desired angularly inclined positions of the multiple of countinghead units may be subject, however, to arrangement whereby the same aredisposed in side by side relation, rather than in the front to backrelation above mentioned. This side by side arrangement is illustratedin Figure 6 of the drawings, and is accomplished by the provision of asuitable supporting frame 42 having inclined bracket arms 43 providedwith longitudinal carrier bars 44 to which the bed-plates of the unitsare secured so as to be pitched at the desired angle of approximatelyforty-five degrees. A driven shaft 45 provided' with driving bevel gears46 to mesh with and drive the bevel gears 36 of the counting headspindles is support ed beneath the counting heads, and said driven shaftis, actuated by any suitable transmission means, such as a sprocket andchain drive 47 from any suitable source of power.

The angular pitch of the counting heads in combination with the novelhopper construction is calculated to provide a machine which is veryrapid in operation and-practically free from all likelihood of jammingby reason of excess coins being carried into engagement with thecounting mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a coin counting unit,a downwardly inclined bed-plate, a rotary coin propelling disk on saidbed-plate, coin registering mechanism supported in connection with saidbed-plate adjacent to the upper periphery of said propelling disk intoactuating engagement with which coins are propelled by the latter, and ahopper having perpendicular upstanding side walls connect-ed with saidbed-plate to substantially surround said. propelling disk, said hopperhaving an internal angular wall section overhanging the lower peripheralportions of the propeller disk to throw coins flatwise to the latter,said overhanging angular wall section diminishing in angularity in adirection corresponding to the direction of rotation of said propellerdisk so as to merge in said upstanding side wall at a point below theconjunction of said propeller disk with said registering mechanism,whereby excess coins carried toward said registering mechanism by saidpropeller disk are initially moved out from under said angular wallsection and then caused to ,fall back to the lower peripheral portionsof said disk.

2. In a coin counting unit, a downwardly mechanism supported inconnection wit said bed-plate adjacent to the upper periphery of saidpropelling disk into actuating engagement with which coins arepropelledby the latter, and a hopper to substantially surround saidpropeller disk, comprising an upstanding side wall, a skirt flangeengageable with and secured to the periphery of said bed-plate, and aninwardly off-set angular wall section intermediate said side wall andsaid skirt flange, said angular wall sect-ion acting to throw coinsflatwise upon the peripheral portions of said propeller disk at thelower end of said hopper and diminishing in pitch toward and finallymerging in the plane of said side wall in a direction corresponding tothe direction of rotation of the propeller disk for the purpose ofeffecting the outward movement of excess coins from under said angularwall section as such coins advance toward said coin registeringmechanism, whereupon such excess coins are caused to return to the lowerportion of said hopper under the action of gravity.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereuntoset my hand this 9th day of April, 1926.

EDWARD P. DONNELLAN.

